Introduction
Todd Schwartz’s “American Jerk” is an outstanding piece of writing that cleverly identifies the key modern problems of American society. Regarding constructive criticisms, the author uses strong narrative elements of diction, style, theme, and tone, but the characters are missing due to their irrelevance to the subject. The essay was published in 2008 in the Oregon Humanities Journal to address the Great Civil War.
The most prominent narrative elements include a cynical tone, historical theme, narrative style, and strong, as well as pedantic diction, using words such as ‘dillweed.’ The central text structure and flow do not directly dismantle the underlying problems but rather emphasize their presence and expose their twisted, two-sided nature. The core message of the “American Jerk” story identifies comfort, pleasure, ignorance, and pretentiousness as the root causes of all social problems in modern American society.
Comfort: Theme and Diction
Firstly, the narrative element of the given aspect of the thesis has a strong historical theme focused on deriving parallels between Rome and the United States. The interpretation can be defended by looking at a dichotomous degradation of American society due to comfort and convenience-oriented social and economic structures at the core. By reflecting on the past, the author writes that “the first is that America is in the same position as Rome found itself in about 420 CE” (Schwartz, 2009, para. 10). In other terms, a societal decline and eventual collapse is not a new occurrence in humanity’s history since all great empires once were affected by these afflictions of comfort over purpose.
Another interesting narrative element of the comfort aspect of the core message is the diction. He further elaborates that he is “meaning that we’ve reached the peak of our civilization and now everything is going to Tartarus in a chariot” (Schwartz, 2009, para. 10). In a sense, the choice of words, such as ‘Tartarus,’ emphasizes the direction of the author’s perspective of the prospects of the United States.
Thus, the observation is made regarding the general direction of the American future, where greatness and superiority are lost in the face of the search for convenience. The case is evidenced by the fact that “income and wealth inequality is higher in the United States than in almost any other developed country, and it is rising” (Siripurapu, 2022, para. 1). Therefore, the observations and data support the interpretation to the fullest extent.
Subsequently, the author makes a bigger assessment of the general state of affairs concerning the United States by showing the destructive nature of excessive focus on comfort and convenience. He writes that “we’re too far from our food and energy sources, and fewer and fewer of the Druids and Visigoths like us anymore” (Schwartz, 2009, para. 10). Yet again, one can observe a peculiar diction in the process of the author’s description of the United States’ allies. For example, the term ‘Visigoths’ is used to identify the people of Germany, an essential ally of the US regarding economic ties to the European Union and defense relationships through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The narrative aspect of diction is best exemplified concerning the comfort-seeking social changes within the context of the Great Civil War, which undermined American values. Not only did the search for and prioritization of comfort undermine American independence and self-sufficiency, but it also made society blind to the attitudes and needs of others. The author claims that “so we desperately cling to a patina of civility while we grab a snack and watch large, toothy predators devour people” (Schwartz, 2009, para. 10). In other words, the nation is losing what made it great, which is why the society ignorantly and pretentiously holds to its artificially created concepts of civility to emulate the sense of greatness. The political correctness and civility of the modern age are dysfunctional to such a degree that even the most ancient of predecessors would find it appallingly and apparently fake.
Thus, the interpretation’s validity is supported by the larger degree of mutual disregard of one human being for another. The author writes that “we have never been less concerned about the feelings of anyone with whom we share the road, the Internet, or the movie theater” (Schwartz, 2009, para. 3). The truth is that the fundamental moral and humanistic values of mutual care and empathy were lost in search of self-indulgence and the comfort of not worrying about others.
Pleasure: Style
Secondly, the author’s observations on the pleasure-seeking nature of America are the best illustration of his pedantic diction and cynical tone. The interpretation can be defended by focusing on mass ignorance as an act of choice, where Americans collectively select being entertained rather than informed and seeking pleasure rather than true happiness. The author writes: “Pick your poison: reality television, slasher movies, video games, online porn, cell phones, automated answering systems, giant assault vehicles for trips to the grocery store” (Schwartz, 2009, para. 7). The word’ poison,’ followed by an extensive list of problems, shows the pedantic diction use within the context of his cynicism.
Thus, the author lists the wide range of distractions and entertainment activities available to the American public for the sole purpose of staying and remaining in the dark. Research supports the statement, where it was found that “binge-watching can trigger goal conflicts and feelings of guilt, which may reduce well-being” (Granow et al., 2018). Considering a widespread increase in media consumption, it is safe to assume that entertainment, especially in a media format, can be ‘poisonous’ if consumed excessively.
Moreover, one could argue that the innovative and creative spirit is wasted in developing ever-increasingly absurd and meaningless content for pleasure through entertainment. The author writes that “we love to watch TV shows about the stunningly predictable results of hand-feeding a grizzly bear” (Schwartz, 2009, para. 8). The demand for being entertained is large enough to allow the creation of shows with the most obvious flaws in their design, which are evident, yet ignored. He further states: “People lie to others for money and programs where snarky, slightly talented folks say vicious things to hopeful, and usually more talented, contestants” (Schwartz, 2009, para. 8).
Purposelessness and the inanity of people’s behaviors are indicators of an unhealthy society, where civility is pretentiously practiced with zero consideration for others in real life. It is stated that “we’re all talking to someone all the time, but it’s even more rarely to the people we are actually with” (Schwartz, 2009, para. 8). The search for pleasure and entertainment blinds one from reality, where even the closest of people are ignored to avoid missing a second of disillusionment.
Ignorance: Tone and Diction
Thirdly, the narrative element of a cynical tone is the most prominent aspect of the discussion on the topic. Ignorance and a decline in people’s knowledge are both the cause and the outcome of the Great Civility War, where pluralistic ignorance supports the interpretation of the text. The author writes: “My final and somewhat less cutting edge theory is that a large percentage of people are just clueless, distracted, and self-absorbed, unable to process concepts such as spatial awareness” (Schwartz, 2009, para. 12). It is evident that some hints of cynicism are present whenever the author uses neutral words for what he wants to describe as ignorance and stupidity.
Moreover, the public is generally poorly informed about the reality in which they live, resulting in a society focused on frivolous activities. Research suggests that its effects are manifested in pluralistic ignorance, which fuels political polarization and unrest (Sargent & Newman, 2021). It is stated that “pluralistic ignorance occurs when group members mistakenly believe others’ cognitions and/or behaviors are systematically different from their own” (Sargent & Newman, 2021, p. 1). Therefore, lacking knowledge and critical thinking makes people and society pretentiously civil or openly uncivil. Due to the sheer scale of ignorance on a societal level, the affliction cannot be avoided by even the most observant of individuals, such as the author himself.
To further defend the provided interpretation, one does not need to look at massive social dynamics since mundane and simple occurrences can also be used as hints. The author states that “when you are walking in the same direction with several hundred people in, say, an airport terminal, don’t just stop in the middle of the flow” (Schwartz, 2009, para. 12). It is clear that the author gradually shifts from being cynic to a more straightforward discontent with the social changes associated with Great Civility War.
Thus, the sheer degree of ignorance in American society manifests in the most significant and most influential decisions and the simplest acts of consideration for others. Subsequently, the author proceeds with a strong use of diction and narrative elements. He cleverly equates being ignorant with the modern conception of civility, which shows that they are the two sides of the same coin, rooted in ignorance. He claims that “I am not here to judge whether being civil and considerate is somehow better than being a mindless dillweed” (Schwartz, 2009, para. 13). The term ‘dillweed’ is used intentionally to signify the shift from the author’s politeness to cynicism to open dissatisfaction with the state of affairs.
Pretentiousness: Style
Lastly, a repetitive and narrative style of message delivery is observable in terms of exposing the flaws of the Great Civil War. One of the most evident issues demonstrated in writing is the pretentiousness of the existing public discourse, especially in the political correctness domain within higher knowledge institutions, such as universities. The author writes, “no one is ‘poor,’ but many are ‘socioeconomically disadvantaged’” (Schwartz, 2009, para. 4).
He repeatedly shows the issues that were the direct outcomes of the Great Civility War. The given statement is among the best illustrations of how social pretentiousness manifests and harms when addressing fundamental problems, such as poverty. An expert urges that “political correctness does affect professors and their research in ways that hinder our ability to seek the truth while undermining higher education’s public support” (Maranto, 2020, p. 46). In other words, civility is artificially designed to appear thoughtful through a codification, but with no substantive purpose of helping or solving the issues.
A consistent or repetitive style is mandatory to communicate the central thesis since the Great Civil War similarly caused social disturbances in many areas of society. An additional substantiation for the provided interpretation can be seen in the pervasive nature of pretentiousness. It can be described as deep and widespread to the extent that it indoctrinates children from the schools where they begin to learn about the world. The author further elaborates that “political correctness holds such sway that holidays go unnamed for fear of insulting or excluding someone” (Schwartz, 2009, para. 4).
Therefore, the artificiality of political correctness disables and impairs a healthy public discourse, where ad hominem is at the core of the social play. The force of pretentiousness is even more potent because the actors and agents involved are not ill-intentioned; rather, the system is flawed. Thus, the problem with political correctness and pretentious thoughtfulness is unintended dishonesty created by the ecosystem of lies.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is critical to note that pretentiousness, ignorance, pleasure, and comfort are the four horsemen of American decline. The narrative elements range from a cynical tone, a historical theme, or a narrative style to strong diction using words such as ‘dillweed.’ The first implication of the interpretation is to implement measures of self-control and self-awareness with respect to these four ailments, since positive change begins with an individual. The second implication is to engage in public discourse, use one’s political power of voting, and observe reality as it is to promote genuine progress, which will make Americans more educated, informed, knowledgeable, and successful. The third implication is to actively protect and improve one’s family, friends, and communities from these four ‘sins’ of social decline since major shifts in the social psyche must start somewhere.
Reference
Granow, V. C., Reinecke, L., & Ziegle, M. (2018). Binge-watching and psychological well-being: Media use between lack of control and perceived autonomy. Communication Research Reports, 35(5), 392-401. Web.
Maranto, R. (2020). The truth about the politically correct university. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 52(1), 46-53. Web.
Sargent, R. H., & Newman, L. S. (2021). Pluralistic ignorance research in psychology: A scoping review of topic and method variation and directions for future research. Review of General Psychology, 25(2), 163–184. Web.
Schwartz, T. (2009). American jerk. UTNE: Oregon Humanities. Web.
Siripurapu, A. (2022). The U.S. inequality debate. Council on Foreign Relations. Web.